Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-14
STORIES TOLD BY FIGURES.
HOW the Work OF the Bureau Of StAtis-
tics is Performed.

| HO" the Work Of the Bureau OF Statis-
tics is Performed.
HISTORY AID ROMANCE CONDENSED N sTATrsTroAi
TABLEs-1HR STORY OF AMERICAN PRoGREss-wHA1
ONE READS BETWEEN THE LINrs-How AND WIZ
THE FIGURES ARE COLLECTED.
There is one brancb.of the Department service
| at washington never visited by the curious tour.
| ISIS on their search for wonders The brides and
| grooms, the Masonic conventions, the sweet girl
graduates, and the sober scientists visit 1t.
It's very location is not known to many people. 1t
Is the bureau OF 1gureS-or the bureau Of Stats
tics, as the sign the door says There is some
| thing about figures that does not seem promising
to the seekers after the curious and interesting.
The bureau Is almost as quiet as death. 1t
might be sort Of sleepy hollow, were
1t not that everybody is actively at work. All
sghteers snun it; yet It Is altogether an interest
Ing place II you look at it right. There is in
formation 10 De had IN smaller space there than
anywhere else in tine United States. Everything is
tod In ngures Science, political economy and di-
plomaey are treated OF In figures. History and
any one who will study the language these little
crooked characters there are many strange and
wonderfully interesting things to be found: The
| eloquent speeches OF orators are contained
there in the condensed form OF figures Great
statesmen translate them into eloquent phrases
that thrill the auditors and I'LL the world with
their fame Most OF the great speeches that
| are made in Congress are translated from these
figures. tits the mastery OF them that makes great
| men. MOST OF the great speeches OF the campaigns
| are got here.
HISTORY TOLD By FIGURES.
| The history told in this language of figures is
| more wonderful and more correct than that told
! In any other form Of expression. There is pro-
| gress, pride and pathos portrayed in these con-
| else and emphatic phrases. They tell OF romance
| and adventure, and treat OF characters and con-
ditionS OF men. The adventures OF the frontiers
| men are told IN the number OF feet, pounds or
| bushels OF commerce they drew out OF the wider
ness. The fluctuations show their failures and
their successes. This long line OF figures here
means prosperity, wealth and happiness; smiling
fortune, love ami marriage settlement and adj
vancement. Those shortcut figures there are a
short story soon told. 1t is Of disaster. Terrific
ventures OF death and narrow escapes
attending them. Some heroic, self-sacrifcing
deeds may be; perchance some fearful crime
committed In the struggle to be the uppermost.
Tales OF ruined fortune, blasted hopes ana long,
hopeless separations.
! Here are figures that tell of hundreds of boats
| plying backward and forward upon the broad
rivers. You can detect the sound of the paddle
wheels splashing the waters into foam; you can
you can see the bright fires OF the passing steamers
and hear the songs across the tide. They tell YOU,
! too, OF great business ventures that had in them
those elements OF risk and excitement that center
your interest about the hero OF novel. You may
hear the songs or the slaves as they handle the
cotton bales.
| Read on and you will find many changes Grad
ually the lights OF the engines and the splash OF
the paddle BOXES fade and die away. There are
rotten hunks lying In the water. 1t Is story Of
prosperity. progress and decay, with compensa-
ton In change to other scenes OF prosperity and
progress
TALES OF MODERN LIFE.
And here are some more fgures-stor1es OF a
more recent date-if you had time to read them.
They are tales Of life in the great metropolis. ey
are tremendous in their plot. There is the "Ro-
nance OF Wall Street, .'The Ruined Banker "
The Great Conspiracy; or, The Corner in Grain"
sober works Oh finance. commerce and history, If
you prefer something coInmon-pace-evend dry and
ordinary subjects may be treated OF in figures
The field or research is very broad and fertile
In collecting all these figures the Government ia
Influenced by motives entirely practical. 1t is q
keep Informed as to the extent and value OF our
CONNER &c, both foreign and domestic. The work
OF the Bureau Of Statistics is conducted on purely
business principles, and the employees are very
guarded and careful not to permit the figures they
have to deal with TO lead them into roInanceS and
the realms OF the poettcal and visionary. At
night sometimes clerks who have been for many
days reading and writing figures to show the i'm
portance OF American hogs have dreams OF drOves
OF nogS running, squealing over their beds, fol-
lowed by PruSsian soldiers prOddng their fat sides
with sharp bayonets; but these visions are never
hours Iney have been trained not to get too eX-
cited over figures They can handle the most
thrilling array OF ciphers, ones and twos, and
skies ana Mines. with perfect complacency.
HOW THE WORK Is DONE.
The manner OF doing the work is quite perfect
and the commercial value OF the informatian COL
lected Is very great The Chief Col. Swftzler
appointed under this administrations and the
chief clerk, Mr.. Whitney, man Of longer expert
ence in the service fOrm with their force OF clerks
and computers, The great central Bureau OF Sta
tistics, figures, or Information, whichever YOU are
OF mind TO call it. All the customs officers in the
United States have to report to this Office all the
business done at their ports In this way they
get the ngureS as TO our foreign commerce. Then
they have agents at work throughout the States
collecting Information as to Internal commerce
They cannot cover the entire field OF internal
commerce at one time, so they take up distinct
branches OF it that happen be interest and col
lect ngureS on these. Mr. Sw1tZler'S predecessor
accumulated many ngureS about railroads, for in.
stance. MIR. SwitZlerS first important work was
10 collect statistics as to the South and now
he Is at work on wool and the commerce OF the
Mississippi River. The bureau is guided largely
in the selection OF subject OF Inquiry by the
public
DEMAND FOR INFORMATION.
Hundreds OF letters are received daily asking for
figures on different subjects. Some are Old SUBJ
jectS and some are new. And then Congress is
constantly seeking Information. When there is a
great demand Tor Information on some new SUBJ
Ject inquiries put loot at once to collect IT,
Circulars are sent out to all persons likely to
possess the information, and the agents are put
TO work When the figures come III they are an
Immense mass that must be gone over and
digesJed. After due process they come out edited
and compiled in the form OF u report, to which
collected are or great value aside from any enter
tanning quantities they may possess to tine lovers
OF light romance.